The Dillons Meet the Solinskys

Last night Mike, Josh, Isaiah, and I headed to Applebees in Wisconsin Rapids to meet Sara, her husband Craig, and their 5 year old daughter Ashlyn.  Sara and I were anxious to get together again and so happy to have our families meet each other.  They gave us a large corner booth and after a few minutes of deciding where everyone would sit we settled in with the kids in the middle and the adults on the outside.  Ashlyn was not at all shy with the boys and after deciding what to eat, she and Josh got right into a game on her kids menu.  After trying to let her get ahead a bit, Josh quickly realized that she did not need any special treatment -- she ended up beating him in the end!  The conversation flowed freely and Ashlyn kept us all entertained with her stories and antics.  At one point she asked to come sit by me, which made me so happy!  She tried to teach me how to touch my nose with my tongue, but it turned out that I was just not quite as talented as she was!  It certainly was not for the lack of teaching skills on her part.  At one point she asked me if she could see my kidney!  Unfortunately I had to tell her that it just wasn't possible.  She did decide to name the kidney, however.  Her first instinct was to name it Belle.  Then she said maybe Colleen.  She finally accepted Isaiah's suggestion to name it Colleen Belle.  So Colleen Belle it is!  She also gave us a lesson on "hemodialysis", a word she could pronounce without flaw and a definition of which she knew by heart.  Before we knew it three hours had passed.  We had talked, laughed, and gotten to know each other.  Josh and Isaiah got a taste of what it would be like to have a little sister!  Ashlyn even said she would like to come stay overnight at our house sometime!  How fun that would be!!  Craig and Mike enjoyed their time talking about their jobs, hobbies, and life in general.  It was such a wonderful evening and we just cannot wait to do it again!

Surgery is just 24 days away now.  Sara will go a week from Wednesday to have her final pre-op exam.  My family and I are going to Louisville, KY next week so Josh can attend Rajon Rondo's basketball camp.  We are so looking forward to our time away as a family.  When we get home it will be just over a week until the big day.  I am still not at all nervous.  I am just so excited!  This past year has been incredible.  In the end, two people(Lonnie and Sara) will have new kidneys.  In the end I will be a new person.  So incredibly touched -- so incredibly blessed -- so incredibly humbled.  God is good -- all the time.